Russell Wilson is now the unquestioned starter of the Pittsburgh Steelers after the team traded away Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. As Pittsburgh’s starter, Wilson is on a path to revive his Hall of Fame candidacy in Pittsburgh, according to analyst Bucky Brooks.
“Russell Wilson likely entered the offseason looking for an opportunity to start for a winning team. In signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 35-year-old quarterback not only checked that box, but he put himself in prime position to revive his Hall of Fame candidacy,” Brooks wrote on NFL.com.
Brooks cited what Arthur Smith did with Ryan Tannehill in a run-heavy offense, helping Tannehill revive his career in Tennessee. He thinks that Wilson can have the same success with Smith, especially with George Pickens as his top receiver and working under Mike Tomlin. Wilson already has a Super Bowl ring and another Super Bowl appearance, and the nine-time Pro Bowler certainly has a case for Canton. Some of that shine has worn off after his last two seasons in Denver. A new opportunity with the Steelers should allow Wilson to potentially rebuild that case.
Outside of just stats, it would help Wilson immensely in his case for the Hall of Fame if he was able to win a second ring. He said today that one of the reasons he came to Pittsburgh was to win championships, and with an elite defense and solid run game, the Steelers give him a better chance to win than he would’ve had with the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Giants. With Kenny Pickett traded, the Steelers also can eliminate any distractions or noise from a potential quarterback controversy and can hone in on the offseason with Wilson as their No. 1 guy.
For the Steelers to get to a Super Bowl level, they’ll have to add on the offensive line and at wide receiver, but Wilson should fit in and can hopefully have a similar career resurgence as Tannehill did under Smith. Either way, Wilson should be better than Pickett was with the Steelers last season. He will likely have a better offensive line than he had in Denver, where he was sacked a total of 100 times over the past two seasons.
There’s still a lot of offseason left, but I’m banking on the Steelers being better in 2024 than in 2023. I do think the dialogue about Wilson will change after this season in Pittsburgh, and he’ll be thought of as a better quarterback than he was when Denver benched and cut him.
